February 2006 Park of
the Month
Inks Lake State Park

Inks Lake State Park's Mini Cabins Take Chill
Out Of Winter Camping

Lovers of the outdoors shouldn't let brisk winter weather keep them from
spending a couple of days at a Texas State Park. In fact, for perennially
popular getaways, such as Inks Lake State Park near Burnet, chilly weather
can be the perfect excuse to book one of the 22 cozy mini cabins that offer
many of the comforts of home and enjoy the park under less crowded conditions.

The minimally furnished mini cabins
don't have bathrooms or kitchens, but represent a step up from tent camping
and screened shelters, offering bunk beds and heaters to ward off the nighttime
chill. Some, like the ones Martin Creek Lake State Park, are converted screened
shelters, while others such as the 13-by-16 foot cabins at Inks Lake, were
built from scratch.

While the exteriors, furnishings and amenities vary among
the eight parks, the limited service cabins offer a more hassle-free way
to enjoy overnight camping. Just be sure to pack bed linens or sleeping bags
and bring pillows, and you're ready to turn in after a busy day of hiking,
fishing, boating or other outdoor activities. Each cabin site has a picnic
table, fire ring/grill, lantern post and water spigot.

Work crews at Inks
Lake State Park tore down the old screened shelters in 2000 and constructed
cinder block structures with metal roofs and doors on the old foundations.
Cabin exteriors are finished in a duotone that mimics the colors found in
the ubiquitous granite boulders and outcroppings throughout the park.

Mini
cabin interiors feature concrete floors, two sets of single bunk beds (sleeps
four) with mattresses, a table and four chairs, a ceiling fan, air conditioner/heat
pump and 30-amp electrical outlet. Walls are painted sky blue or pink and
have slightly hipped ceilings of exposed pine the give the structures a homey
feel. Restrooms
with showers are nearby.

The mini cabins at Inks Lake have been a big hit
with park visitors since the park began offering them in 2001, according
to office manager Pam Major.

"People love 'em," she says. "We already have
some booked for the summer. From the time kids get out of school in May until
they go back in late summer, the cabins are usually booked by the end of
March."

Major advises those wanting to stay in a mini cabin anytime from
March through November to make a reservation at least four to six weeks out.
People who wait until the last minute to make a reservation, she warns, will
be disappointed.

Inks Lake State Park consistently ranks as one of the most
visited parks in the Texas State Park system, and it's easy to see why.

Conveniently
located about an hour from Austin in the heart of the picturesque Texas Hill
Country, the 1,200 acre park provides ready access to sparkling Colorado
River waters impounded in the smallest reservoir of seven linked Highland
Lakes stretching from Tow, Texas to Austin. Pinkish mounds of some of Texas'
oldest rock - Spring Valley gneiss (pronounced nice) - contains feldspar
minerals that glitter in the sun. White-tailed deer prance about in the idyllic
setting,
stopping to graze, seemingly oblivious to nearby humans.

The park's recreational opportunities are as diverse as the varieties of
wildflowers that in spring paint the rocky, pink granite hills with splashes
of blues, reds
and yellows. With more than 200 campsites to accommodate everybody from tent
campers to RV users, Inks Lake State Park ranks as the runner-up in overnight
camping leaders among Texas state parks. Most of the mini cabins and many of
the campsites line the shores of the lake, which is kept at a constant level,
even in the times of drought.

More than seven miles of hiking trails wind along
the shore and through rocky, oak-juniper woodlands. The Pecan Flats Trail
crosses Park Road 4 and leads to nine primitive sites in a trail camp a short
hike from the highway. A new Pecan Flats Trail Guide informs park users about
the area's unusual geology, flora and fauna.

Inks Lake itself, hugging granite shores dotted
with live oak and mountain juniper woodland, proves the park's main attraction.
Boating and fishing for bass, crappie and catfish on the scenic reservoir
draw hordes of anglers. Park visitors can cast from the shore or a lighted
pier. In
addition to groceries, camping supplies and souvenirs, the busy State Park
Store rents canoes, kayaks and paddleboats.

The store, which features an inviting back
deck, serves as an embarkation point for several guided tours. One of the
most popular tours is the Devil's Waterhole Canoe Tour that guides visitors
to a scenic cove featuring a waterfall and unusual geologic formations. A
short hiking trail
from the easternmost campground also leads to the waterhole and a rocky overlook
that affords a picture book view of Inks Lake sunsets and surrounding granite
hills.

Popular with visitors are ongoing Saturday events such as "Go Fishing with
a Ranger" and "Full Moon Hikes." A new tour, "Breakfast with
the Birds",
begins March 12 and is expected to be a big hit. Inks Lake State Park is
one of
about 120 state parks that make up the Texas State Park System. The park
is located
nine miles west of Burnet on State Highway 29. For
more information visit the Inks Lake State Park web site.